Blackfeet Indian Tipi Legend - How Blood Clot Took Possession Of The Snake Tipi
Snake Tipi Design of Nellie and Willie Scraping White
Many older Blackfeet Indians found explanations for the origin of the first snake and bear tipis among their people in episodes from the stirring adventures of the mythological culture hero, Blood Clot. The following version of Blood Clot's aquisition of the Snake Tipi was collected by Clark Wissler and his Piegan field assistant, David S. Duvall, more than sixty years ago, and was published in their Mythology of the Blackfoot Indians in 1908:
In the course of his travels, Blood Clot came to a camp and entered the lodge of some old women. When these women saw what a fine young man he was, they said, "Why do you come here, among such old women? Why do you not go where there are younger people?" "Well," said he, "give me some meat." The old women gave him some dried meat, but no fat. Then he asked, "Why do you not give me some fat with my meat?" "Hush!" said the women, "You must not speak so loud. There is a snake lodge here and the snakes take everything. They leave no fat for the people." "Well," said Blood Clot, "I will go over to the snake lodge to eat." "No, you must not do that," said the women. "It is dangerous. They will surely kill you." "Well," he said, "I must have some fat with my meat, even if they do kill me."
Then he entered the snake lodge. He had his white rock knife ready. Now the snake who was the head man in the lodge had one horn on his head. He was lying with his head in the lap of a beautiful woman. He was asleep. By the fire was a bowl of berry soup ready for the snake when he should wake. Blood Clot seized the bowl and drank the soup. Then the woman warned him in whispers. "You must go away; you must not stay here." But he said, "I want to smoke." So he took his knife and cut off the head of the snake, saying as he did so, "Wake up! Light a pipe., I want to smoke." Then with his knife, he began to kill all the snakes. At last there was one snake who was about to become a mother, and she pleaded so pitifully for her life that she was allowed to go. From her, descended all the snakes in the world. Now the lodge of the snakes was filled with dried meat of every kind, fat, etc. Blood Clot turned all this over to the people, the lodge and everything it contained. Then he said, "I must go away and visit other people."